Paver stone deck drain

ABSTRACT

A drain is provided which may be used in a surface including a paver stone. The drain includes a body having an upper wall and a cavity extending from the upper wall. The body further includes a drain opening in fluid communication with the cavity. The body additionally includes a plurality of support members. Each support member at least partially extends into the cavity and includes a support surface, with the support surfaces of the plurality of support members being configured to collectively support a paver stone placed thereon. The drain additionally includes a plurality of retainers selectively engageable with the body to collectively define a paver zone sized to receive the paver stone. The body includes a drainage pathway from a location outside of the paver zone, through the cavity and to the drain opening.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to a drain for use inlandscaping applications, and more specifically to a drain that may beincorporated into a surface formed from paver stone.

2. Description of the Related Art

Many residential and commercial buildings include decorative orlandscaped surfaces, such as decks, patios, porches, garages, etc. Suchsurfaces are commonly located outside and exposed to precipitation, orlocated adjacent a pool, sprinkler, or water feature. Consequently,water and other liquids may accumulate on the surface, which may resultin slick, unsafe conditions. Furthermore, if the water is not removedfrom the surface, the water may cause aesthetic or structural damage.Therefore, many surfaces are oftentimes graded to induce runoff in apredisposed direction. In some cases, the liquid runoff is directedtoward a runoff area, which may include vegetation or soil locatedadjacent at least one side of the landscaped surface. However, in othercases, the particular landscaped surface is situated such that anappropriate runoff area is not available. For example, the surface maybe surrounded by four walls, e.g., a courtyard, or the surface mayextend between a house and a pool. In either case, the landscapedsurface may not be graded to direct the water to an appropriate runoffarea. Therefore, many surfaces include a drain which collects the waterthat accumulates on the surface.

Most drains include plumbing that directs the water into a drainagesystem. The drain may include a lid on top of the plumbing. In mostcases, the lid is flush with the landscaped surface. The cover or lidfor current drains are typically not constructed from the same materialas the surrounding landscaped surface. Along these lines, manylandscaped surfaces are formed from paver stones, whereas the draincover is commonly constructed out of metal, typically brass. Thisdifference in material has several functional and cosmeticdisadvantages. In particular, drain covers constructed from dissimilarmaterials can be a safety hazard because the cover will generally have adifferent coefficient of friction compared to the surrounding landscapedsurface. For example, most metal drain covers typically include arelatively smooth finish compared to the surface of paver stone. Asignificant change in surface texture such as this increases the risk ofa slip and fall accident as unsuspecting persons step from one surfacehaving a high coefficient of friction to another having a lowercoefficient of friction or visa-versa. Moreover, the risk of an accidentcan be especially great when the cover is wet, as may be the case whenchildren are playing near a swimming pool.

In addition to creating a potential safety hazard, drain coversconstructed from dissimilar materials can also be less desirable forcosmetic reasons. In many cases, a large amount of time and money isspent to make the landscaped surface look as aesthetically pleasing aspossible. Many of the surfaces are intended to be prominentarchitectural features. In this setting, it may be more desirable to usea drain cover which matches the visual appearance of the surroundingfabricated layer.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a more aestheticallyappealing drain cover or drain that is located within a landscapedsurface, such as a surface formed from paver stones. Various aspects ofthe present disclosure address this particular need, as will bediscussed in more detail below.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Various aspects of the present disclosure are directed toward a drainconfigured to be incorporated into a surface formed from paver stones.The drain may be specifically adapted to reside beneath the paver stonesand provide a drainage path between adjacent paver stones and into adrain pipe. In this regard, one or more paver stones may act as the lidor cover to the drain, thereby preserving the aesthetics of thelandscaped surface.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, there isprovided a drain including a body having an upper wall and a cavityextending from the upper wall. The body further includes a drain openingin fluid communication with the cavity. The drain additionally comprisesa plurality of support members. Each support member at least partiallyextends into the cavity and includes a support surface, with the supportsurfaces of the plurality of support members being configured tocollectively support a paver stone placed thereon. The drainadditionally includes a plurality of retainers selectively engageablewith the body to collectively define a paver zone sized to receive thepaver stone. The body includes a drainage pathway from a locationoutside of the paver zone, through the cavity and to the drain opening.

The drain may further include a plurality of slots formed in respectiveones of the plurality of support members, with the plurality ofretainers being advanceable through respective ones of the plurality ofslots. The drain may additionally comprise a plurality of visualindicators formed along a respective one of the plurality of slots. Theplurality of retainers may include a screw threadingly engageable withthe body as the retainers are advanced through respective ones of theplurality of slots. The plurality of retainers may include a pluralityof height adjustment collars, with each screw being insertable throughat least one of the plurality of height adjustment collars when engagedwith the body.

The body may additionally include a lower wall, with the drain openingbeing formed in the lower wall. A first collar may extend from the lowerwall and may circumnavigate the drain opening. The body may additionallyinclude a second collar extending from the lower wall andcircumnavigating the first collar.

The plurality of support members may be co-planar with each other.

According to another implementation, there is provided a drain for usewith a paver stone. The drain includes a paver support surfaceconfigured to be engageable with the paver stone. A plurality ofretainers are adjustably coupled to the paver support surface and extendfrom the paver support surface to define a paver zone over the paversupport surface that is sizable to be complementary to the paver stone.The drain additionally includes a lower wall spaced from the paversupport surface, with the lower wall having an opening formed therein. Adrainage path extends from the paver support surface to the opening inthe lower wall.

The plurality of retainers may be translatably coupled to the paversupport surface.

The drain may include a plurality of supports spaced from each other andcollectively defining the paver support surface. The plurality ofsupports may extend from the lower wall.

According to another embodiment, there is provided a method ofinstalling a drain in a surface including a paver stone. The methodincludes the steps of placing a drain on a foundation, with the drainincluding a plurality retainers adjustably coupled to a body; adjustingthe plurality of retainers to be complementary in size to the paverstone; and placing the paver stone within a paver zone collectivelydefined by the plurality of retainers.

The method may additionally include the step of adjusting a height ofthe plurality of retainers relative to the paver support surface.

The present disclosure will be best understood by reference to thefollowing detailed description when read in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the various embodimentsdisclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the followingdescription and drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top view of a drain installed in a landscaped surface formedfrom a plurality of paver stones;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the drain of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an upper perspective view of the drain;

FIG. 3A is an enlargement of a support member including a slot formedtherein;

FIG. 4 is a lower perspective view of the drain;

FIG. 5 is a top view of the drain; and

FIG. 6 is a partial cross sectional view of the drain depicting a screwbeing received in a slot cavity formed in a support member of the drainbody.

Common reference numerals are used throughout the drawings and thedetailed description to indicate the same elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings, wherein the showings are for purposes ofillustrating preferred aspects of the present disclosure, and are notfor purposes of limiting the same, there is depicted a drain 10 for usein a landscaped surface 12 formed of paver stones 14. The drain 10 isconfigured to reside beneath an upper, exposed surface of the paverstones 14 to remain substantially hidden or concealed from view.Furthermore, the drain 10 is configured to allow for a paver stone 14 ato be placed on top of the drain 10 to minimize the disruption of thelayout of paver stones 14 in the landscaped surface 12. The drain 10 maycreate a small gap 16 around the paver stone 14 a placed thereon tocreate a drainage pathway through the landscaped surface 12. The drain10 may include a cavity under the paver stone 14 a, in communicationwith the small gap 16, with the cavity being in communication with anunderlying drain pipe. Accordingly, the drain 10 may provide anaesthetically pleasing drain 10 in a landscaped surface 12 formed frompaver stone 14.

FIG. 1 is a top view of the landscaped surface 12 including paver stones14 arranged in rows and columns. The paver stones 14 include a pluralityof peripheral paver stones 14 b disposed about central paver stone 14 a.The drain 10 includes a body 18, a substantial portion of which isdepicted in phantom in FIG. 1 to represent its location as layingbeneath the plurality of paver stones 14. A plurality of retainers 20are adjustably connected to the body 18 and collectively define a paverzone sized to receive the central paver 14 a, such that the centralpaver 14 a is supported over the body 18. The body 18 may also beconfigured to at least partially support the peripheral paver stones 14b, which may be placed in abutment with the retainers 20. As can be seenfrom FIG. 1, the drain 10 may be installed such that most of the drain10 (e.g., the drain body 18) is concealed beneath the paver stones 14.Furthermore, the retainers 20 may be sized to recessed below the upperwall of the paver stones 14, while also being positioned around thecentral paver stone 14 a so as to keep the central paver stone 14 a in adesired position and restrict sliding of the central paver stone 14 aover the drain body 18. The retainers 20 also create space between thecentral paver 14 a and the peripheral pavers 14 b to create the gap 16for drainage.

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the landscaped surface 12 and thedrain 10 shown in FIG. 1. The landscaped surface 12 may include afoundation 22 including a subgrade 24 (e.g., soil) and fill sand 26poured on top of the subgrade 24. The body 18 of the drain 10 may bepositioned so as to extend through the fill sand 26 and into thesubgrade 24 to stabilize the body 18. The paver stones 14 may be placedon top of the fill sand 26 and over the body 18 of the drain 10. Thedashed arrows in FIG. 2 represent possible flow of liquid drainingacross the upper surface of the paver stones 14, through the gap 16 inthe paver stones 14, through a cavity 25 underneath the central paverstone 14 a, and then into a drain pipe 28.

Referring now to FIGS. 3-6, according to one embodiment, the body 18includes an upper wall 30, a lower wall 32 and a sidewall 34 extendingbetween the upper wall 30 and the lower wall 32. The upper wall 30,sidewall 34 and lower wall 32 may collectively define the cavity 25. Thelower wall 32 may include a drain opening 36 formed therein and incommunication with the cavity 25. The drain opening 36 may be spacedfrom the sidewall 34 and extend around a central axis 38. The upper wall30 may extend away from the sidewall 34 to form a peripheral flange. Asloped transition surface 40 may extend between the upper wall 30 andthe sidewall 34, to promote fluid flow from the upper wall 30 and intothe cavity 25.

The body 18 additionally includes a plurality of support members 42extending from the upper wall 30 and the sidewall 34 into the cavity 25.In this regard, each support member 42 may be shaped like a finger orfin and extending from the upper wall 30 and sidewall 34 and terminatingat a distal end. Each support member 42 includes a support surface 44,such that the plurality of support surfaces 44 collectively support thecentral paver stone 14 a when placed thereon. Along these lines, thesupport members 42 may be co-planar with each other. The support members42 may be arranged in generally opposed pairs, with the support members42 of each pair being arranged on opposite sides of the drain opening36. Such an arrangement may provide stability and balance to the paverstone 14 a placed thereon.

The drain 10 may additionally include slots 46 formed in some, if notall, of the support members 42. Each slot 46 may extend through thesupport surface 44 on the corresponding support member 42 and may begenerally linear and allow for selective adjustment of the retainers 20relative to the body 18, the importance of which will be described inmore detail below.

The body 18 may be formed from acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS),polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or other polymer materials known in the art.Furthermore, the body 18 may be formed from a molding procedure, suchthat the upper wall 30, sidewall 34, lower wall 32 and support members42 form a unitary, integral structure.

The retainers 20 are engageable with the body 18 to collectively definea paver zone complementary to, and sized to receive, the paver stone 14a. According to one embodiment, each retainer 20 includes a screw 48 andone or more height adjustment collars 50, through which the screw 48 isplaced. The collar(s) 50 define a height H and a width W associated witheach retainer 20. The height H may be adjusted by adding or subtractingthe number of height adjustment collars 50 around the screw 48. Inparticular, the height H may be increased by increasing the number ofheight adjustment collars 50 disposed about the screw 48. Conversely,the height H may be decreased by reducing the number of heightadjustment collars 50 disposed about the screw 48. The height H of eachretainer 20 may be adjusted such that the retainers 20 do not extendbeyond the upper, exposed surface of the paver stones 14. In thisregard, the retainers 20 may remain at a receded position so as not tocreate a tripping hazard and to minimize the appearance thereof, whileat the same time being of sufficient height to collectively retain thepaver stone 14 a in place. The width W may define the size of the gap 16extending between adjacent paver stones 14 a, 14 b and may be ⅛″-½″, andmore preferably approximately ¼″. Of course, the size of the gap 16 mayvary without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure.

Each retainer 20 may be secured to the body 18 through threadedengagement between the screw 48 and the body 18. The slots 46 formed inthe support members 42 may facilitate threaded engagement between thescrew 48 and the body 18. In particular, the tip of the screw 48 may beinserted into the slot 46 to locate the screw 48 in the slot 46. Withthe tip of the screw 48 advanced into the slot 46, the screw 48 may beselectively positioned within the slot 46 based on the size andconfiguration of the paver stone 14 a that is to be placed on the drain10. The body 18 may include one or more visual indicators 52 positionedalong the slot 46 to provide a visual reference point for the user whenadjusting the position of the retainers 20 relative to the body 18. Forinstance, it may be desirable to centrally position the paver stone 14 aover the body 18, and the visual indicators 52 may aid in achievingcentral placement thereof. In the exemplary embodiment, the visualindicators 52 include four small notches formed generallyperpendicularly to the slot 46 in spaced relation to each other.Although the exemplary embodiment of the visual indicators 52 includesnotches, it is contemplated that in other embodiments, the visualindicators 52 may include ribs, protrusions, bumps, nubs, printed matteror any other visual element that may provide a reference point for theuser.

Each support member 42 including a slot 46 may also include a recessedcavity 54 (see FIG. 6) in communication with the slot 46. The recessedcavity 54 may be defined by a first wall 56 separating the recessedcavity 54 from the main cavity 25, a lower wall 58, and a second wall 60opposite the first wall 56. The recessed cavity 54 may be sized toreceive the tip of the screw 48 when the screw is connected to the body18.

Although the foregoing describes the retainers 20 as including a screw48 and collars 50, with the screw 48 being selectively positionable in aslot 46, it is contemplated that other retainers 20 known in the art mayalso be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure. For instance, the retainers 20 may include a track extendingalong a corresponding support member 42, with the track being engagedwith a slide element. The slide element may be selectively positionableon the track to adjust the position of the retainer relative to thebody. Stacking elements may be placed on the slide element to adjust theheight of the retainer. It is also contemplated that other retainingelements known in the art may also be used.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 4, the drain 10 may include one or morecollars 62, 64 which may be configured to facilitate attachment of thedrain to the drain pipe 28. A first collar 62 may extend from the lowerwall 32 and may circumnavigate the drain opening 36. The first collar 62may define a first outer diameter D1, and thus, may be configured foruse with a drain pipe 28 having an inner diameter substantially equal toD1. The drain 10 may additionally include a second collar 64 extendingfrom the lower wall 32 and circumnavigating the first collar 62. Thesecond collar 64 may define a second outer diameter D2 larger than D1,and thus, may be configured for use with a drain pipe 28 having an innerdiameter substantially equal to D2. By including multiple collars 62, 64on the drain 10, the drain 10 may be used with several drain pipes, andthus, may be universal in nature.

The drain 10 may additionally include a plurality of external fins 66,which may extend outwardly from the sidewall 34 and the upper wall 30 tofacilitate anchoring and stabilization of the body 18 within a subgrade24 during installation of the body 18.

With the basic structure of the drain 10 described above, the followingdiscussion will describe installation and use of the drain 10 accordingto one embodiment. Prior to installing the drain 10, the foundation 22may be prepared by forming the subgrade 24, and then placing fill sand26 on top of the subgrade 24. The foundation 22 may be formed around thedrain pipe 28, which may have an end exposed for engagement with thedrain 10. Once the foundation 22 is prepared, the drain 10 may beinstalled. In particular, the body 18 is placed on the foundation 22,with the lower wall 32 and sidewalls 34 extending into the subgrade 24and the upper wall 30 extending through the fill sand 26. The upper wall30 may rest on top of the subgrade 24, with the fill sand 26 extendingaround the upper wall 30, with the upper surface of the upper wall 30being substantially flush with the upper surface of the fill sand 26.When the body 18 is placed on the foundation, the drain pipe 28 isconnected to one of the collars 62, 64, and more specifically, thecollar 62, 64 that is complementary in sized to the drain pipe 28. Theengagement between the drain pipe 28 and the collar may be a frictionfit engagement, although an adhesive or other bonding agent may be usedto strengthen the engagement therebetween. The engagement may also be asubstantially fluid tight engagement to mitigate fluid leakage throughthe interface between the collar and the drain pipe 28.

Installation of the drain 10 may also entail installation and adjustmentof the retainers 20 on the body 18. The retainers 20 are installed onthe body 18 such that the retainers 20 collectively define a paver zonewhich is complementary in size and shape to the paver stone 14 a.Accordingly, the paver stone 14 a may be temporarily placed on the body16 to identify where the retainers 20 should be placed. When the paverstone 14 a is temporarily placed on the body 16, the user may use thevisual indicators 52 to center the paver stone 14 a and identify wherethe retainers 20 need to be placed. Once the location of the retainers20 has been identified, the paver stone 14 a may be removed tofacilitate connection of the retainers 20 to the body 18.

A desired height H of the retainers 20 may be determined by identifyinga paver height P, such that the height H of the retainers 20 is lessthan the paver height P. The height H may be set by stacking a desirednumber of collars 50 around each screw 48. The retainers 20 areinstalled onto the body 18 by inserting the tip of the screw 48 into acorresponding slot 46.

Once the sufficient number of collars 50 are placed on the screw 48, andthe screw 48 is in the correct position relative to the body 18, thescrew 48 may be rotated to advance the screw 48 into the body 18. Alongthese lines, the width of the screw threads may be slightly larger thanthe width of the slot 46, which allows the threads of the screw 48 toengage with the body 18. The screw 48 is tightened until the collars 50are captured between the head of the screw 48 and the body 18. Once allof the retainers 20 are in place, the paver stone 14 a may be placedwithin the paver zone, with the retainers 20 preferably being inabutting contact with the paver stone 14 a. Thus, the abutment betweenthe paver stone 14 a and the retainers 20 mitigates unwanted movement ofthe paver stone 14 a relative to the body 18, which could otherwise leadto an unstable walking surface and cause unsafe walking conditions.

The retainers 20 also create the gap 16 between the central paver stone14 a and the peripheral paver stones 14 b disposed around the centralpaver stone 14 a. The gap 16 provides a drainage pathway into the cavity25 and then ultimately through the drain opening 36.

Once the drain 10 is installed, and the pavers 14 a, 14 b are placed onthe drain 10, the drain 10 may be substantially concealed from view,while at the same time, functioning similar to a conventional drain byproviding a flow path for liquid away from the landscaped surface. Thedrain 10 may not require a lid or cover that is formed from a materialdifferent from the paver stone 14, but instead, may allow a paver stone14 to be placed over the drain 10 to maintain aesthetic continuity.

The particulars shown herein are by way of example only for purposes ofillustrative discussion, and are not presented in the cause of providingwhat is believed to be most useful and readily understood description ofthe principles and conceptual aspects of the various embodiments of thepresent disclosure. In this regard, no attempt is made to show any moredetail than is necessary for a fundamental understanding of thedifferent features of the various embodiments, the description takenwith the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how thesemay be implemented in practice.

What is claimed is:
 1. A drain system for use in a surface including apaver stone, the drain system comprising: a body having: an upper wall;a cavity extending from the upper wall; a drain opening in fluidcommunication with the cavity; and a plurality of support members, eachsupport member at least partially extending into the cavity and having asupport surface, the support surfaces of the plurality of supportmembers being configured to collectively support a paver stone placedthereon; a paver stone placed directly on the plurality of supportmembers; and a plurality of retainers selectively engageable with thebody to collectively define a paver zone sized to receive the paverstone; the body having a drainage pathway from a location outside of thepaver zone, through the cavity and to the drain opening.
 2. The drainsystem recited in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of slotsformed in respective ones of the plurality of support members, theplurality of retainers being advanceable through respective ones of theplurality of slots.
 3. The drain system recited in claim 2, furthercomprising a plurality of visual indicators formed along a respectiveone of the plurality of slots.
 4. The drain system recited in claim 2,wherein the plurality of retainers include a screw threadinglyengageable with the body as the retainers are advanced throughrespective ones of the plurality of slots.
 5. The drain system recitedin claim 4, wherein the plurality of retainers include a plurality ofheight adjustment collars, each screw being insertable through at leastone of the plurality of height adjustment collars when engaged with thebody.
 6. The drain system recited in claim 1, wherein the body furthercomprises: a lower wall, the drain opening being formed in the lowerwall; and a first collar extending from the lower wall andcircumnavigating the drain opening.
 7. The drain system recited in claim6, wherein the body further comprises a second collar extending from thelower wall and circumnavigating the first collar.
 8. The drain systemrecited in claim 1, wherein the support surfaces of the plurality ofsupport members are co-planar with each other.